Habitat - Indoor :: Turtle water filter? /food

[handoug]

Hello all!
Last time you guys were super helpful for a question, so I thought I'd come back with another! I have two turtles I got from china town in chicago, both are still about two inches across. When I spoke to somebody they told me to only fill the water about two inches (I have a 10 gal tank think, could be twenty), however I feel like they don't and can't really swim around, would anybody suggest be putting more water in there for them to swim around in? I have a basking rock they can hang out on, and often do (unless I enter the room and scare them off). Which brings me to my next question, if I keep the water at 2/2.5 inches (or even fill it up more), does anybody have any ways to keep the water clean? I was thinking about a filter but there arent many that can filter 2 inches of water. I've also read up on a plant that helps keep the water clean.. anybody have any experience with them? and lastly! I have been feeding them little pellets (about 2/3 each) and some small portions of fruit (strawberries, bananas etc) in addition to the pellets..I just want to clarify this with you guys I'm just worried I'm over feeding them :/ also if you guys have any suggestions of fruit they may enjoy please let me know!!
Thank you all!

[cutepanda86]

You definitely need more water. I would start with about 5". Then you need to get yourself a bigger tank. The turtles may be tiny now but as they quickly get bigger they will outgrow a 10 (or 20 gallon) in no time. Also as they age, they may not get along. Consider the possibility of two separate tanks. You definitely need a filter. 5" will give you enough water for a filter (not the canister type though). I wouldn't go all crazy until you get a bigger tank. You don't want to spend a lot of money and then have to spend a bunch more in a short time frame. With turtles, bigger is always better.

Plants can be good from what I hear but they need to be edible as the little ones might chomp on them.

[Kansasslider]

Turtles love to swim. Most of us fill the tank with water or at least close to full. Just mske sure they have places to rest and get out of the water for basking. As cute panda said you will/do need a bigger tank. Petco has 1 dollar a gallon sales on their tanks. You can also look on Craig's list. With the tank being full of water you then will want to buy a canister filter. As for plants to keep the water clean, they will more than likely destroy any live plant you put in the tank. You will also need a good water heater and thermometer.